Weather-sealing of joints exposed to changeable outside climatic conditions has always been an important factor in efficiently obtaining and maintaining proper temperature control within a building. Where the building in question is a commercial or industrial type which is provided with a loading dock utilizing dock leveler equipment and the like, the temperature control problem oftentimes becomes more acute. Normally the dock leveler as a unit is mounted within a pit or recess formed in the loading dock itself. The dock leveler embodies a deck member, which is normally pivotally connected at its rear edge to a frame disposed within the pit, and when not in use, assumes a horizontal position wherein the exposed surface of the deck member is coplanar with the adjacent exposed surface of the dock. Thus, when the deck member is in such a position and loading and unloading operations are occurring on the dock, forklift trucks and the like may safely pass over the exposed surfaces of the deck member and the dock without difficulty. When the dock is not in use, the deck member also assumes the horizontal position.
Oftentimes, a portion of the pit and the associated portions of the dock leveler extend into the interior of the building even when the access door between the loading dock and the building interior is closed. It is in this latter situation wherein annoying drafts or excessive heat losses are created unless some type of weather sealing is utilized between the dock leveler and the wall surfaces of the pit in which the leveler is mounted.
Various types of weather sealing for this purpose have heretofore been proposed, however, because of certain inherent design characteristics they have been beset with one or more of the following shortcomings: (a) it was awkward and difficult to replace certain components when required; (b) the useful and effective life of these components was inordinately short, thereby requiring frequent shut down of the dock leveler; (c) it was of costly and complex construction and was ineffective in facilitating proper temperature control within the building interior; and (d) various components were adversely affected by changes in climatic conditions.